1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to bag filter apparatus of the type that removes dust and other foreign particles from a gaseous medium by directing the gas through the interstices of a fabric filter cloth, while the dust particles are collected on the surface of the fabric.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that gaseous streams may be cleaned of entrained particles by directing the gaseous streams through fabric filtering elements that are formed as cylindrical filter bags.
An array comprising a multiplicity of bags connected in parallel is commonly known as a bag house, and the bags of a given bag house obviously are most effective when maintained in a reasonably clean condition. Inasmuch as deposits of dust collecting on the surface of the filter bags are typically removed by shaking or vibrating the bags or subjecting them to a reverse air flow, the bags stretch, loosen and wear until their collecting effectiveness is largely diminished.
To maintain a high degree of collecting efficiency of the filter bags, the bags must be kept clean and in a uniformly taut condition, and they must be replaced with new bags when they become excessively worn or the fabric has deteriorated.
Accordingly, the art as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 2,350,011 of Black dated May 30, 1944, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,297 of Hanes dated Mar. 22, 1966, discloses arrangements by which filter bags are supported by resilient spring biasing means that place a continuous bias upon each filter, whereby it is maintained in a uniformly taut condition.
However, replacing the filter bags or adjusting the tension being applied to loose bags whereby they may be maintained in a uniformly taut condition is an extremely time-consuming, if not impossible, task that usually requires the complete shutdown of a bag house while repairs or adjustments are being made.